Alabama

YOUR VIEW: Teach for America will be good for Birmingham

As a Teach for America alum, I am excited about the prospect of TFA coming to Birmingham. I believe it is just what the failing school system needs.

TFA has proved its effectiveness in numerous school districts, including the one in which I taught -- the Atlanta Public Schools. My students were consistently underperforming for years, but as a result of a friendly administration and the efforts of a cadre of Teach for America teachers, these low-performing students met and exceeded state and national targets for yearly progress on a consistent basis.

Graduates who choose to commit to TFA are the best and the brightest from elite colleges and universities who often forgo lucrative careers in the private sector to teach in underperforming school districts. These young teachers bring a drive and dedication for high expectations that career educators have either lost or never had. In turn, TFA teachers reinvigorate old and young educators and students alike.

The amount of controversy the decision to bring TFA teachers to Birmingham has garnered is disheartening, particularly the discussion over the fact that most TFA teachers lack degrees in the field of education. TFA teachers have degrees in things such as history, math, biology, economics and Spanish.

Frankly, an education degree is not all-important in being an effective teacher. It may, in some cases, be a hindrance.

Passion for students, high expectations and renewed vigor are the attributes TFA teachers have, and they are the most important qualities of effective teaching.